Man Of Steel Earns A PG-13 Rating For Action And Destruction

Normally, it’s not in our nature to get excited over a film’s rating. We’re not 8 years old, hoping to sneak into a PG-13 film by purchasing a ticket to Oogieloves so we can see Liam Neeson kicking ass in whatever Taken sequel he has in theaters.

But we’re marginally excited about the PG-13 rating the MPAA just handed to Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot Man of Steel because of the reasons why the film earned just such a grade. The MPAA (which is a deeply flawed organization with its own set of problems) allegedly has seen Snyder’s film and has awarded it a PG-13, according to BoxOfficeMojo, for “intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language.”

Violence? Action? Destruction? These are things Superman fans begged to see in Bryan Singer’s artful Superman Returns … and outside of a thrilling airplane-crash sequence, the action and fighting were in short supply. Now, I liked Returns for different reasons. I thought it did a decent job of exploring where Superman fit in to our society – a theme that I think Snyder is compelled to explore as well. But fans want to see Superman in action in full-blown, devastating combat situations, and this MPAA rating is the first tangible indication that Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan heard the fans and are acting on delivering the goods.

It’s still early. But it’s encouraging to hear that Man of Steel exists in enough of a finished cut to go before the MPAA and earn a rating that will please fans. The movie opens everywhere on June 14.